Bangladesh flood death toll rises to 95

Surging floodwaters washed away five more people in northern Bangladesh today, raising the death toll to 95 from monsoon rains

Surging floodwaters washed away five more people in northern Bangladesh on Friday, raising the death toll to 95 from monsoon rains that have battered this delta nation for more than two weeks.

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A child and four other people drowned in Kurigram district, a hard-hit area 240 kilometers north of the capital, Dhaka, relief officials said.

Drowning caused most of the deaths. Relief workers have also reported an outbreak of waterborne fever and diarrhea, which claimed eight lives on Monday and Tuesday and have afflicted millions, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

Flood waters submerge and pollute drinking-water wells.

Monsoon floods hit Bangladesh late last month, marooning about 2 million people in one-third of this low-lying delta nation. Floods have damaged vast areas of rice paddies and washed away thousands of flimsy huts. Roads are blocked, forcing people to travel in small boats.

The continuing downpour has caused the rivers Brahmmaputra, Teesta and Dharala to swell further this week, displacing nearly 30,000 people.

Authorities evacuated about 10,000 people living along the shores of the monsoon-fed rivers in the north. Displaced people were camping on mud embankments or in schools closed because of the flooding.